In a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michael Sakellis, the owner of Basta Pasta, reportedly asked female workers for massages, touched them inappropriately, made comments about their bodies and made sexually suggestive remarks.

Officials said some of the victims in the case were teenagers.

The lawsuit also alleges that Sakellis would pressure the women to drink alcohol at the end of the night, and he would act offended if they didn't stay and do so.

One of the employees told officials that Sakellis gave her alcohol and that she passed out and got sick. She said she believed Sakellis drugged her to attempt to sexually assault her. Another victim claimed that she went to his home to discuss a management opportunity but instead believes he drugged and sexually assaulted her.

Both employees quit their jobs because of the incidents, the lawsuit said.

"No employee, male or female, should have to endure being subjected to offensive sexual comments and touching in order to earn a living, but the unlawful harassment is even more vile and intolerable when it includes sexual assaults by a company owner," said Spencer H. Lewis Jr., the director of the Philadelphia District Office of the EEOC, which oversees Maryland, among other states.

The lawsuit also alleges Sakellis retaliated against a female manager who complained to management about the harassment. The lawsuit said she was told to "keep her mouth shut," and the company also pressured her to recant her testimony when she got involved in the EEOC's investigation.